The winners of 2nd International Web Concert Hall Competition

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Petronel Malan is not a newcomer to the concert stage, having performed solo recitals since the age of seven. A riveting figure on stage, reviewers have described Miss Malan as breathtaking, extraordinary and brilliant! They speak of her power, technical mastery, delicacy and poetry. In 2000, four gold medals were awarded to Miss Malan from the Louise McMahon International, Missouri Southern International, Los Angeles Liszt
Competition "Budapest Concert" and the Hilton Head International music competitions. She was also a grand prize win in the "2000 Web Concert Hall Auditions" and silver medallist in the In 1999 New Orleans International Piano Competition. Other awards include gold medals in the 1998 Young Texas Artists Competition, the 1996 Tuesday Musical Club Young Artist Competition (San Antonio), the 1994 Grace Welsh Prize for Piano (Chicago) and silver medal, (no gold awarded) in the 1996 Bellini International Piano Competition. In 1990 she captured the SABC Music Prize (South Africa's most prestigious) and before her departure from South Africa in 1991, Miss Malan won every competition she was eligible to enter. After Miss Malan's European debut in Rome in 1987, she continued to perform in cultural centers such as Paris, London, Salzburg, Los Angeles, New York, Beverly Hills and Chicago. She has also appeared at the highly respected Gilmore and Ravinia festivals. Her concerts have been broadcast in the United States (including on NPR), Canada, Europe and in South Africa. Miss Malan has performed with all the major orchestras in South Africa, as well as orchestras in Italy and various cities in the North and South America. Recent and upcoming highlights include performances at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall in New York, the Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series in Chicago, Loyola University's "Montage Concert Series," and the Tuesday Musical Club of San Antonio. Orchestral appearances include the Lawton, Hilton Head and Fort Collins Symphony Orchestras and appearances in Canada, Hungary, Colombia, Czech Republic, Great Britain and France. A 2001 South African tour will launch her first CD of a series to be released under "BMG Records Africa". Born in Pretoria, South Africa, Miss Malan began piano lessons at age four with her mother, an opera singer. Recognized as a prodigy, Miss Malan debuted with the Johannesburg Symphony at the age of ten playing Kabalevsky's Youth Concerto. She won her first national gold medal at age twelve and the first international gold at age fourteen in the Third International Piano Competition in Marsala, Sicily. After an early education with Dr. Adolph Hallis, she continued her studies under Cliburn gold-medallists Steven de Groote and Ralph Votapek. Presently based in the United States, Malan completed her undergraduate work at Michigan State University and her graduate degrees at the University of North Texas, studying with Joseph Banowetz.

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Alexei Romanenko, Russian by birth, began to study cello at the age of six. Mr. Romanenko has won first prize in Gnesina Cell competition in Moscow, the first prize in Classical Heritage International Competition, and the first prize in 8th Vienna Internation Competition. Alexei Romanenko began to study cello at the age of six. He has won the 1^st prize on the Far-Eastern Competition for strings when he was 12 years old. He attended Moscow Conservatory since 1989 and has performed more than 200 concerts in Europe in the past seven years. He won 1^st prize on Gnesina Cello Competition in Moscow and 1^st prize in 8^th Vienna International Competition and a recipient of the 1999 Presser Music Award. He premiered a sonata for cello solo by Nickolay Shabalin dedicated to Romanenko in the International Festival by memory of Shostakovich. In 1998, he leaves Moscow Conservatory and Russia to finish his studies at a New England Conservatory of music in the Artist Diploma Program.

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Honorary Mention - Dr. Chin Kim has won top prizes in several of the most prestigious international violin competitions including the Concours International de Musique de Montreal, the Queen Elisabeth Competition, the Paganini Competition, and the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. Mr. Kim's recent concerts include the performance of Bernstein's Serenade with the Atlanta Symphony, Barber Concerto with Wayne Chamber Orchestra, and the Glazunov Concerto with the Czech Philharmonic. Acclaimed for his deep musicality and virtuosity, Dr. Chin Kim, one of the most versatile, and sought-after young violinists today, has been concertizing extensively throughout North America, Asia and Europe as guest artist with orchestras as those of Philadelphia, St. Louis, Montr?l, and Atlanta with conductors like Leonard Slatkin, John Nelson, Myung Whun Chung, and Sixten Ehrling. As recitalist, Mr. Kim appeared in major halls of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Montr?l, Toronto, Brussels, and Seoul.

Top prizewinner in several of the most prestigious international violin competitions including the Concours International de Musique de Montr?l, the Queen Elisabeth Competition, the Paganini Competition, and the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis, Mr. Kim's recent concerts include the performance of Bernstein's Serenade with the Atlanta Symphony, Barber Concerto with Wayne Chamber Orchestra, and the Glazunov Concerto with the Czech Philharmonic.

Dr. Kim's debut recording of Prokofiev's Violin Concerto No. 2 in g minor with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic (Russia), under the baton of Paul Freeman, and the Prokofiev Sonata No. 2 in D Major with pianist David Oei, was released on the ProArte/Fanfare label. His second CD consisting of the Mendelssohn c minor, and the Tchaikovsky Piano Trio with the "Starr-Kim-Boeckheler Piano Trio" was released on the Mastersound label, and his most recent CD, the Glazunov and Tchaikovsky Concertos was recorded and released by Intersound/Fanfare label in the fall of 1995, following the performances of the Concertos with the Moscow Philharmonic in the Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow, all to high critical acclaim.

"Virtuoso," "musically assertive," "rich, golden tone" and "perceptive" are words of critical acclaim describing Mr. Kim's performance of the Prokofiev Concerto No. 2 and Prokofiev Sonata No. 2 compact disc, "Kim's deep, into-the-strings tone reminded me of a very favorite recording, the old David Oistrakh Soviet monaural recording," "more than enough technique to master these piece..." are words describing the Tchaikovsky, and the Glazunov Concertos recording.

Dr. Kim is the recipient of the Nan-Pa Prize awarded by the Nan-Pa Foundation in Korea, which is one of the highest honors given to a Korean-born musician. He graduated from the Curtis Institute of Music and, subsequently from the Juilliard School where he received the Petschek Award, and won the Concerto Competition which led to the performance of the Glazunov Concerto with the Juilliard Philharmonia in Lincoln Center. With his busy performing schedule, he also teaches at the Mannes College of Music in New York. His major teachers include Dorothy DeLay, Ivan Galamian, and Josef Gingold.

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Honorary Mention - Ms. Vokalkova finished her studies at the Prague Conservatoire in the class of professor Frantisek Malotin. She has won first prize at Czech conservatoire competition, first prize at Concertino Praga International Competition, and third prize at Pacem in terris - international competition in Germany. Ms. Vokalkova was the first flautist of the Prague Symphony Orchestra FOK for several years. In 1992, Sofie Vokalkova finished her studies at the Prague Conservatoire in the class of professor Frantisek Malotin. She prolonged her studies in France taking lessons from professor Christian Larde and also finished master class of James Galway.